King, Snohomish have state’s lowest unemployment

King and Snohomish counties had the state’s lowest unemployment rates in February at 5.6 and 6.3 percent, respectively, according to data released Tuesday by the state Employment Security Department.

Both counties improved from their January rates of 6.3 percent and 7.1 percent. That put them ahead of Whitman County, which in January had Washington’s lowest rate of 5.8 percent but saw unemployment grow to 6.4 percent last month.

Pierce County’s jobless rate was 9.7 percent for February, while Kitsap County was at 8.3 percent.

The county-level monthly unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.

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Twenty two of Washington’s 39 counties had unemployment rates of 10 percent or more in February. The highest, as in January, was Ferry County at 15.1 percent.